ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan removed paragraphs from its earlier judgments on February 6 and July 24 in the Mubarak Sani case.
The SC bench, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and including Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, accepted the government’s urgent plea to omit specific sections from the judgment.
The CJP announced the order, removing paragraphs No. 7 and 42 from the judgment in the Mubarak Sani case. “We are capable of making mistakes. If we do, it should be corrected rather than made into an issue,” the CJP remarked.
The SC bench, headed by Qazi Faez Isa, overturned the conviction of Mubarak Sani, who was charged with a crime in 2019 under the Punjab Holy Quran (Printing and Recording) (Amendment) Act, on February 6.
The court stated in its ruling that the defendant’s alleged offense did not become a crime until 2021. Consequently, the Supreme Court overturned the conviction and granted the petitioner immediate release.
The government then challenged the decision, arguing that certain paragraphs of the order regarding Article 20 of the Constitution needed to be revised, as the rights of citizens under this provision are not absolute but are subject to law, public order, and morality.
In accepting the plea, the Supreme Court ruled on July 24 that the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of religion and the right to practice one’s religion are subject to morality, public order, and the law.
